Treaty of Ghent

When negotiations began the British were primed to teach the unruly Americans that Great Britain was not a world power to be fooled without consequences. British plans were already set in place to burn down Washington D.C., capture Baltimore, New York City and New Orleans. The British felt no need to listen to any of the American demands. The Brits would be setting the tone of when, where and to what outcome these "terms of surrender" the Americans would be forced to accept.

Events leading up to the first meeting between Great Britain and the United States had Great Britain with a great sense of superiority. The long drawn out conflict with France was over and Napoleon had been exiled to Elba. The end of the conflict in Europe meant they could devote more men, material and military might against the Americans. British newspapers were feeding their readers a daily diet of revenge against the Americans-- it was time for payback for the American Revolution. They would accept nothing less than complete capitulation by the Yankees.

August 1814

When the British and American delegations first assembled in the city of Ghent, a Belgian city in Europe, a number of major battles were yet to be fought in the United States between the two antagonists. Unbeknownst to the Americans, the British had a battle plan that was already in motion. This plan involved burning Washington D.C. later this month even as peace negations had already begun. Knowing that news would be arriving in Europe later that fall was a strong advantage from the British perspective. What the British would not learn until some time later was that the Americans were going to prove more resilient than they gave them credit. Instead of burning all of Washington D.C., all they succeeded in doing was burning down the Presidential home, but for the most part, the new capital city of the United States remained. The British also failed to capture Baltimore and New York. When news of these set backs arrived in Europe later that fall, the British negotiators were forced to take a different position. The really bad news for them would come weeks after the Treaty of Ghent had been signed. That news was the British suffered a devastating defeat during their attempt to capture New Orleans.

Signing of the Treaty of Ghent. Admiral of the Fleet James Gambier is shaking hands with the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, John Quincy Adams. Also, the British Undersecretary of State for War and the Colonies, Henry Goulburn, is carrying a red folder. December 24, 1814. Painting by Amédée Forestier.

When the two sides first met, Great Britain's negotiating team had a clear set of demands for America's surrender. The Americans had clear set of demands that needed to be met to end hostilities between the two sides. By December of this year a treaty would be signed, but neither side would be granted the demands being sought during August of 1814.

The main point the Americans wanted was restoration of men and ships by a practice the British navy called impressment. For the Americans, this was one of the main reasons for the conflict. Impressment was the stopping of any foreign ship by a British war ship and removing any men they considered to be descendants of Great Britain. Any materials deemed to also having once been the property of Great Britain would also be confiscated. The determination of these facts were left open to the captain's discretion. Once impressed, the sailors would be confined to the British ship for 12 years without ever leaving the ship. For the British, this centuries old practice wasn't even a consideration, but they did have designs on the Americans that would fundamentally change the country for ever.

The British demands included making Canada a permanent part of Great Britain. The British felt the main reason for the war was the American's desire to take complete control over what is today Canada. This was partially true. Some American war hawks felt in the process of beating the British, the United States might just as well take control of the lands north of the Great Lakes. The next major demand from Great Britain was for the Americans to give up much of the land that prior to the Revolutionary War had been known as the Northwest Territory. This land was be unconditionally set aside as a separate country with sovereign rights for its inhabitants: Native Americans of all tribes. This included all of the land north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. Although the Native American's would be allowed to sell portions of this land to others, it could never be sold to the Americans. Furthermore, all Americans already living here would have to move out immediately. For Ohioans, this was problematic: the state of Ohio had already been established.

The reason for this demand was a promise made by Great Britain to Native Americans to join an uprising against the Americans, this was especially directed toward Tecumseh who had been organizing a united Native American alliance, but who had felt betrayed by the British years earlier when the British turned their backs on the Native Americans at the Battle of Fallen Timbers where after the battle, the Native Americans were turned away when they sought protection at Fort Miamis.

The British were also seeking the possible annulment of the Louisiana Purchase which gave title to the lands west of the Mississippi River to the United States. There was also conjecture that Great Britain might also take all of the state of New York as well as most of New England if the British navy and army were successful in their capture of New York city and New Orleans later in the year.